The Ultimate Fighter Finale is set as Ramsey Nijem meets Tony Ferguson with a guaranteed six-figure UFC contract at stake

New York, NY, June 2, 2011 – The finals are set for The Ultimate Fighter®: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos and each coach will be represented, with Team Lesnar’s Tony Ferguson battling Ramsey Nijem of Team dos Santos battling it out for a six-figure contract with the preeminent mixed martial arts organization in the world, The Ultimate Fighting Championship®. Emanating from the Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, NV, the finale will be telecast LIVE on Spike TV Saturday, June 4 at 9:00 PM ET (tape delay for West Coast).

Chosen third by coach Brock Lesnar during team selection, Tony Ferguson (11-2) has steamrolled his way to his date with Ramsey Nijem inside the Octagon® on June 4. By finishing fights with Justin Edwards, Ryan McGillivray and Chuck O’Neil en route to the finale, Ferguson has dominated his competition, leaving nothing in the hands of judges along the way. A two-time All-American wrestler at Grand Valley State University, Ferguson now resides in his birthplace of Oxnard, CA, and trains with Knuckleheadz Boxing in Ventura, CA. Nicknamed “El Cucuy” (which is Spanish for “The Boogeyman”) for his quiet intensity, Ferguson hopes to ruin the dreams of his opponent Nijem to become The Ultimate Fighter.

Fighting out of Orem, UT, Ramsey Nijem (5-1) was the fourth fighter selected by Junior dos Santos, and, much like Ferguson, has arrived at The Ultimate Fighter Finale in impressive fashion, claiming submission victories over Charlie Rader and Clay Harvison before knocking out Chris Cope in the second round of their semifinal bout. Born to Palestinian immigrants, the 23-year-old Nijem credits his upbringing for his work ethic, which, before his success inside the Octagon, helped him put himself through college at Utah Valley State University. A teammate of Court McGee, who experienced a similar bout with destiny en route to winning The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz, Nijem will look at blaze his own trail and have his hand raised in Las Vegas on June 4th.

The Ultimate Fighter Finale co-main event is the much anticipated matchup between two of the UFC’s top fighters in the lightweight division, Clay Guida (28-8) and Anthony Pettis (11-1).

A fighter that doesn’t have an “off” switch, Clay Guida is known for his frenetic pace and extraordinary endurance, as well as his mane of hair. He enters the bout with Anthony Pettis having won three straight fights in the UFC, most recently defeating Takanori Gomi at UFC 125 and earning “Submission of the Night” honors in the process. Guida has a knack for being involved in memorable fights, garnering “Fight of the Night” three times in his career, and “Fight of the Year” honors in 2009, and he will look to keep his winning streak going this Saturday night.

Anthony Pettis lives and trains in Milwaukee, WI, and will be making his debut in the UFC in his fight with Guida. Pettis tallied a 5-1 record in the WEC and was the organization’s lightweight champion after defeating Ben Henderson last December. He was in line to face the winner of the Gray Maynard/Frankie Edgar bout at UFC 125, but after that fight was ruled a draw, he instead will face Guida in what promises to be an explosive matchup with high stakes.

Other matches on the fight card to be aired on Spike TV include:

Chris Cope vs. Chuck O’Neil

Fabio Maldonado vs. Kyle Kingsbury

Tim Credeur vs. Ed Herman

Fights that could air depending on time constraints include:

Francisco Rivera vs. Reuben Duran

Ken Stone vs. Scott Jorgensen

Justin Edwards vs. Clay Harvison

Shamar Bailey vs. Ryan McGillivray

George Roop vs. Josh Grispi

Danny Downes vs. Jeremy Stephens

Spike TV is available in 99.4 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.